


Things Jade Hates

by Angel_of_the_Starz



Category: Victorious
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cutting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Female Friendship, Frenemies, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, Past Sexual Abuse, Potential trigger warning, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-08-27 06:30:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8390833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_of_the_Starz/pseuds/Angel_of_the_Starz
Summary: Things Jade Hates: Happiness. The color pink. Giggling. Bras that hook in the front. When people talk in your ear and you can feel their warm breath. When Jade and Tori are paired up for a project in their songwriting class, Tori ends up finding out the real reason Jade is heavily into Goth and dark entertainment, when Jade’s mother returns from being “away”. While originally promised to have until her 18th birthday for her comfort and safety, Jade now has to come to the realization that her time has run out, which is something she deeply hates.





	1. I

**I**

Jade grumbled to herself as sunlight filtered in between her blackout curtains. Cracking one eye open, she glanced over at the digital clock on her dresser, taking note of the time. Heaving a deep sigh, she pulled her black comforter over her head and turned onto her side, digging her cheek into her plump pillow.

A few moments later her bedroom door gently creaked open. Jade tensed up at the familiar sound, her stomach clenching in a tight knot, her pule kicking into high gear, her heart beat a steady staccato in the silence of her safe place. Quiet footsteps patted across the wooden floor, stopping by the side of her bed. Jade tried to steady her shaky breath while squeezing her eyes shut, her entire body rigid.

“Gotcha!” A high pitch voice shouted before Jade felt a heavy weight on her back. A grin broke out on her face when she heard the high pitched giggles from above. She made a big show of yawning and flopping over onto her back, forcing herself to ignore the wriggling mass underneath her. 

“Gosh, my bed sure is lumpy,” Jade pondered. She rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. “Maybe, I should get rid of the lumps by using the Tickle Bunny.” She poked the lump a few times, smiling gently as it squirmed wildly. 

“No, no bunny,” the high voiced screamed. Jade leaned to one side and propped herself up on her elbow as her six-year-old little brother emerged from the tangles of her comforter. “It’s just me, Sissy!” he cried.

“Ash, you were a few seconds away from being bed dust.” Jade leaned over and placed a light kiss on his cheek. “Morning, kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” Ash pouted, crawling closer towards his older sister, and snuggled against her underneath her chin. “I’m a big boy.”

“My apologies.” Jade said gently. She playfully fused with his hair before holding him close. “Have you eaten already?”

“Daddy made breakfast,” he answered. 

“Dad’s home?” she asked. Her father was normally gone by the time she and her little brother woke up to go to school since their mother left. While it did frustrate her at first, she didn’t mind spending time with her little brother. 

As she sat up in her bed, her father entered the room. “Jade,” he greeted her, no emotion crossed is face.

“Dad,” she responded with a raised eyebrow. She then noticed a letter clutched in his hand. Nodding toward it, she frowned. “What’s that?”

“Here.” Her father tossed the letter onto the bed. “It’s about your mother.” Jade felt her lips pull into a deep frown. “Have a good day.” Her father leaned over and ruffled his sons hair, and spared Jade a glance before leaving the room. 

“J, what does it say?” Ash asked excitedly. He sat up in Jade’s bed, bouncing up and down in his seat. “Is mommy coming home?”

Jade’s breathed quickened as she read the contents of the letter. Her hands shook, her eyes darted across the page trying to consume the words etched onto the paper. She swallowed hard, slowly folding the letter back up and placing it onto her dressed. Feeling a tug on the bottom of her shirt, she faced her brother, lost in his wide, confused green eyes.

Forcing a light smile, she muttered, “Yes, Ash. Mommy is coming home.”

\---

Jade watched as her brother skipped beside her toward the elementary school. Gripping his hand tightly, her arm bounced up and down in sync with his steps. From time to time, she’d had to stop and help him re-tie his shoelaces. 

“Sissy, you’re not happy,” Ash commented as Jade bent down outside of the elementary school, fixing up his shoes. 

“No, bud, I’m not,” she admitted. Scoffing a little, she then began to roll up the bottom of his pant legs, making sure they didn’t drag on the ground and become torn. “But what else is new?”

“No,” Ash insisted. “You’re happy when you make kissy face with your Beck,” he giggled. Jade looked up at him with a half-smile. He bent down a placed a light kiss on her cheek. She broke out into a full smile. “You’re happy when you play with me,” he added.

“Yeah, I love playing with you.” Jade reached up and tickled him on his sides, pulling him close. Ash giggled wildly before leaning into her embrace. “It makes things simpler,” she added softly. 

“Sissy is sad.”

“No, Ash.” Jade gently pushed him away, pressing her forehead against his, staring into his eyes. “Sissy is mad, disappointed, and a little scared,” she admitted. 

Ash gasped, before stomping his foot and pouting. He puffed up his chest and pointed to himself with his thumb. “My Sissy is never scared,” he declared. “Sissy is a bad-butt!”

Jade snorted. “A…a bad-butt?” she asked around a laugh. 

Ash gasped loudly before covering his mouth with his hands. “Oh, I said a bad word. Don’t tell Daddy,” he pleaded. 

“I won’t, cutie.” Jade answered before tapping him on the tip of his nose. 

“But…why are you sad?” he titled his head to the side. His eyes shined with excitement. “Mommy is coming home.”

“I know, Ash,” she sighed. Instead of answering him, she got back to her feet and looked towards the front of the school to see the principal standing by the doors and greeting the influx of students and their parents. “Okay, do you have everything?” she asked. “Your lunchbox?”

“All here,” Ash said, thrusting the plastic box in her face to prove his point. 

“Good boy.” Jade picked her little brother up and gave him a tight hug, before spinning him around in circles. He laughed happily while flying through the air. “Daddy is going to pick you up after school. I’ll see you at home.” She steadied her little brother as he struggled to regain his balance. 

“Okay. I love you, J,” Ash said. He gave Jade a quick wave before running towards the front of the school, excitedly greeting the principal at the door. 

“I love you too, Ash,” she called after him. “Have a good day at school.”

\---

“West, you’re late,” Anthony called out as Jade barged into the classroom. She drained the rest of her coffee before dumping the cup into the trash. She marched towards the front of the room for her usual seat. 

“Anthony, you’re African-American,” Jade snapped. She paused, smirking lightly when she her a quiet murmur around the room. Her teacher, however, wasn’t impressed. He gave her a stern look, crossing his arms over his chest. “Sorry, I thought we were listing things that were obvious.”

“Detention, immediately after school,” he ordered.

“Good chiz.” Jade responded, giving him a quick sarcastic salute. She turned and paused, raising an eyebrow upon finding her self-assigned seat already taken. “Andre, get up,” she ordered.

“Actually, this is my seat for the rest of the semester,” he said quietly, slowly leaning away from her as her eyes narrowed. 

“You see, Ms. West, if you had arrived on time you’d know that I paired up everyone in this room for a project,” Anthony said, leaning up against his desk. “It will be due by the end of the semester. You and your partner have the option to either analyze and perform a song of your choosing or write your own song which you will create a music video for and show it in class.”

“Okay.” Jade shrugged “So who’s my partner? You?” She reached out and flicked Andre in the ear.

“No.”

She shrugged once more before turning towards the red head sitting a few seats behind him. She was too busy chewing lightly on the ends of her hair to notice the Goth staring at her. “Then…Cat…” Jade asked slowly, clearly showing her hesitance to work with her quirky friend. 

“Not this time,” Cat muttered around her hair. 

“There’s an empty seat next to Ms. Vega,” Anthony called out.

Jade quickly turned, her eyes widened, her teeth bared. “Please tell me you’re talking about Trina.”

“Take your seat, Jade,” Anthony insisted, pointing to the back of the classroom. Jade inhaled sharply, tilting her head back and closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, before turning and storming toward the back of the room. She yanked her chair away from the table, dropped her bag to the ground, and then plopped into her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Um,” Tori said quietly. Jade slowly turned to look at Tori with a raised eyebrow. The Latina smiled sheepishly giving a small wave. Jade rolled her eyes before leaning over her backpack, pulling out a pair of scissors. Holding her hand up, she began to trim her long fingernails. “I was thinking we could go over playlists of our favorite artists and then-”

“Sounds good,” Jade interrupted. “I’ll meet you at your place after detention.”

Tori reached out, her hand shaking, and took a long sip of the ice coffee sitting in front of her. “See I thought we could change things up and bit and I could go to your place.”

Jade paused, the scissor blades open around one of her fingernails, poised to close and cut the sharp tip. She cleared her throat, slowly closing the blades, relaxing a bit as she heard the familiar sound of the metal scraping against each other.

“No, your place is closer,” Jade answered. 

“But-”

“I said no.” Jade exhaled sharply from her nose. She glanced at Tori out of the corner of her eye. “Your place or not at all. I can’t be seen with you.”

“But, we eat lunch together,” Tori reminded her. Jade gave her a harsh glare. Tori’s eyebrows rose. She reached out for her iced coffee once more, taking a long sip. Even after she depleted its contents, she continued to inhale through the straw, emitting a loud sucking sound. Jade reached over and cut the straw in half with her scissors. 

Ignoring Tori’s frown, Jade finished trimming the rest of her fingernails before moving to place them back into her bag. She cried out quietly after they slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor, scratching her left wrist on the way down. Jade glanced at the light scrape on her pale skin, noting the light pink line before picking up the cutting utensils off of the ground and stuff them into her bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags, Categories, Relationships, and Archive Warnings will all gradually be updated. Some warnings may be placed at the beginning of some chapters depending on its content. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


	2. II

**II**

Jade offered up a sarcastic smile to the teacher running detention as she filed out of the room with the few other students she was trapped with for the past two hours. Walking towards her locker, she waved goodbye to a few of the detention regulars who had congregated in a small huddle near a trash can, whispering rapidly to one another. Rolling her eyes, she quickened her pace, wanting to leave the area before something happened that she could be blamed for. 

Upon turning a corner, Jade stopped when she noticed Tori sitting down on the floor, her back up against the row of lockers. Her eyes were glued to her computer screen, a pair of white earbuds nestled in her ears. Smiling to herself, Jade slowly walked over before leaning down. Noting a locker didn’t have a lock, she popped open the metal latch and pulled the door open before slamming it closed. Tori let out a wail, throwing herself to her side, her laptop sliding out of her lap and onto the floor.

“A little jumpy today, aren’t we Vega?” Jade chuckled. She faced her locker and began to twist the master lock, inputting the combination with a flick of her wrist. Opening her locker, she gathered up her items as Tori collected herself on the floor, or at least tried to. 

“I think my heart stopped,” Tori panted, placing a hand on her chest. 

“Then today’s my lucky day,” she sarcastically answered. Placing her school bag on her shoulder, Jade slammed the door shut and re-fastened the lock into place. Turning, she glanced down at Tori with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I was waiting for detention to let out so we could start on our project,” Tori said, scooping up her laptop. She carefully closed the lid and stashed it into her backpack.

“You waited three hours?” Jade asked. “Why didn’t you just go home?” She then snapped her fingers. “Oh right, because you’re a weirdo who doesn’t have her license…and you’re just a weirdo.”

“I know-” Tori groaned

“So you agree that you’re a weirdo?” Jade interrupted with a bright smile. 

Tori rolled her eyes before reaching out and playfully shoving Jade. “Shut up, Jade.” She chuckled. Her smile instantly faded when she noticed Jade’s eyes followed her hand to the Goth’s shoulder. Tori instantly snatched her hand away, taking a step back. “Anyway, I didn’t want to get a ride with Trina…because she’s Trina.”

“And no one likes her.”

“Right.” Tori nodded. “And then, Beck offered me a ride-”

“Oh, did he?” Jade asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“For the seventy-seventh time, I am not interested in your boyfriend,” Tori sighed. “Anyway, you have a car and you like driving at night, so…” she trailed off. 

“Both are true,” Jade nodded. “You’re lucky I had to take my little brother to school today. Let’s go.” She pulled her car keys from a pocket on her bag before leading Tori out of the school towards the parking lot.

“Don’t…don’t you always take your brother to school?”

“No, sometimes I make him walk,” Jade answered, lifting a shoulder. Upon reaching her car, she unlocked the doors, tossing her bag into the backseat.

“Very funny,” Tori chuckled. She slipped into the passenger seat and buckled herself. After a moment she turned around and glanced into the back noting a car seat. She relaxed when she didn’t find a shovel. However, the tension in her neck instantly returned when Jade didn’t laugh along with her. “You’re joking right?” she asked quietly.

“Sure,” Jade answered with a smirk. Jade talked to herself as she buckled her seatbelt, mentally going over every step to make sure she was ready to drive off. “Seat belt is on, chair positioned correctly, door locks work, lights are okay, and windows are rolled up.” Reaching forward, she placed the keys into the ignition and went to start the car but stopped when the sound of scissors opening and closing pealed throughout the car. 

Jade pulled her pear phone out of her pocket, and tapped the screen, reading her new text message. Tori on the other hand was engrossed in her phone, updating her Slap page status and tweeting other people. Scrolling through her feed, she paused at a hilarious video of Cat trying to tell a joke but continuously messing up because she forgot the punchline or confused a joke with another.

“Hey Jade, check this out,” Tori laughed, tilting her screen so that Jade could read it. She paused, and looked closely at her friend. Jade stared hard at her phone screen, her green eyes turning a dull shade, her skin turning paler than usual. Jade’s fingers shook, her dark nails lightly clacking against the back of her phone case. 

“Are you okay, Jade?” Tori asked. She reached over and gently shook Jade on the shoulder. “Jade?”

Jade blinked hard, taking in a deep breath, before stashing her pear phone into the cup holder by the gear shift. “Yeah,” she answered before clearing her throat. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She licked her lips before starting the car. “We’re going to have to make a pit stop at my place before we head out.”

“Oh, no problem.” Tori answered. She stored her phone in her pocket before sitting up taller in her seat, tapping her hands against her legs. Jade eyed her as she started the car. Taking off the emergency brake, she pressed her foot onto the breaks and shifted the car into drive. 

“Why are you so…peppy?” Jade asked slowly as she pulled her vehicle out of the parking lot and onto the streets of Hollywood 

“Well, I’ve never seen your place before, and now I get to.” 

A few moments later, Jade slowed the vehicle to a stop at a red light. She drummed her thumbs against the steering wheel, before turning to glance out the driver side window, taking in the sunset over the city. “Tori, when we get there, you have to stay in the car.”

“But-”

“Please, just stay in the car,” Jade insisted. “My place…is kind of messy.”

“Okay, I get it,” Tori said clasping her hands together before placing them into her lap. She then began to quietly hum along to the heavy metal music that Jade was playing in the car. 

“No, you don’t,” Jade whispered.

\---

“This is it,” Jade said as she pulled up towards her home. Tori excitedly looked out her window, almost pressing her nose into the glass. “It’s not much.”

“Are you kidding?” Tori gasped. “It’s like a mansion.”

“Mini-mansion, actually,” she muttered. Jade moved to pull into the driveway, but slammed on her breaks when she spotted a vehicle in the spot she usually took next to her father’s car. Tori cried out and rubbed a part of her neck where the seat-belt pressed into her skin at the sudden stop. Jade pulled her lips into a straight line as she pulled her car up alongside the curb. “Stay here,” Jade ordered, as she unbuckled herself.

Leaving her school bag behind, Jade exited her car and made her way up the brick pathway and into her home. She quietly opened her door before stepping inside, walking on the tips of her toes so her boots didn’t clack loudly against the hardwood floor. Jade glanced up the flight of stairs by the door before heading down a hallway into the kitchen.

Jade smiled brightly when she spotted Ash sitting at the kitchen table, eating a small bowl of fruit. She walked over and ruffled his hair before lightly pinching his cheek. “How was your day, bud?” she asked quietly.

“I learned about even and odd numbers,” he proudly announced. “And, we get to read aloud.” Ash grabbed his backpack from the kitchen floor and pulled out a hardback picture book. “Will you read this with me tonight?” he asked.

“Of course I will, but I’m going to be back a bit late tonight.” Jade answered. She stole a strawberry from is bowl, playfully sticking her tongue out at him when he protested before popping the piece of fruit into her mouth. “Anyway, I’m only here because I need to talk to Dad.”

“About?” Mr. West asked as he stepped into the kitchen. He placed his briefcase onto the counter top, and began to unfasten his tie.

“You’re text,” Jade answered, rolling her eyes. She motioned for her father to follow her with a jerk of her head. She walked into the dining room before turning to face him, her arms crossed over her chest. “Why is she _here_?” she hissed.

“You read the letter this morning,” her father answered with a shrug. He finally removed his tie from around his neck. After carefully folding it, he placed it on the back of a chair at the table. Slipping off his jacket, he then began to roll up his shirt sleeves. 

“Which was addressed to us a few weeks ago,” Jade pointed out. “ _Why_ spring it on me now?”

“There never was a good time,” Mr. West raised a shoulder. Jade rolled her eyes before scoffing.

“Well, thanks for looking out for your children.” She clapped her hands loudly. “Father of the year, everyone.”

“I am looking out for you, by bringing your mother back.”

Jade clenched her hands into fists. Growling, she then began to pace back and forth. Her father watched as moved in a small circle. He pulled a chair out before slowly lowering himself onto the cushion. Jade stopped in front of him, glaring harshly. “She wasn’t supposed to comeback until I turned eighteen and was able to leave.”

“I can’t do anything about it now,” Mr. West said dismissively. 

“Which means you didn’t do anything about it before,” Jade seethed. “You’re supposed to take care of your children, not you and your lonely dick.”

“The two of you are alive. Everything is fine.”

“Everything is not fine, as long as _she_ is here.”

Jade tensed up when a flowery scent filled her nose. Her stomach instantly began to churn, a wave of nausea washed over her as saliva coated her mouth. Swallowing slowly, she straightened back up, her heartbeat in tempo with the sound of staccato foot falls from a pair of high heels. The closer the footsteps got, the more Jade’s hands began to shake. She almost heaved when she heard a light, silvery voice greet her brother in the net room.

Jade took a deep breath and forced herself to stand up straight and face the doorway as her mother stepped into the dining room. 

“Hello Jayden,” she greeted brightly.

“Lily,” Jade answered flatly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! :)  
> [knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com](http://knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com)


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: I'm placing this trigger warning for some sexual content near the end of this chapter

**III**

Jade tightly clenched her jaw, forcing back the bile that threatened to spill past her lips. She raised an eyebrow at the bright smile her mother gave her, as if acting like the past few years had never happened. But Jade knew better, she remembered the sleepless nights, be it from anxiety attacks or the vivid nightmares that she sometimes questioned reality.

"You look so grown up," Lily gushed. She moved around the table, stretching her arms out. Jade's eyes widened. She quickly took a few steps back. Lily's smile slightly faded as she came to a stop. Jade reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, wincing when she felt beads of sweat starting to pepper her skin.

"It's my hair," Jade muttered.

"I see," Lily commented. She tilted her head to the side. Her light brown hair skated across her shoulders, exposing the freckled skin on her neck. A hint of a tattoo peeked out from underneath her shirt, near her collar bone. "I'm not a big fan of it."

"Good," she snapped.

"What made you change it? You had such pretty brown hair." Lily reached out and laced her fingers through Jade's dark locks. Her breath catching, Jade froze, feeling the light pull of her hair all the way at the top of her head. Lily briefly glanced at her daughter's face, the right corner of her lip tilting up a bit, turning her smile into the slightest of smirks.

Jade blinked, brought back to the present when she felt her mother's nails lightly scratch against the junction of her jaw and her neck. Her mother's palm lightly cupped her cheek, her thumb resting against the curve of her cheek bone.

"I didn't want to look like you." Jade slapped her mother's hand away. Lily blinked, her jaw dropping in shock as Jade stepped around her. She sent her father a ferocious glare before storming into the kitchen. "I'm out, I have to work on a project for school."

Jade walked over to her brother, ruffling his hair and plucking another piece of fruit out of hi bowl. Lily scurried into the room, her high heels clacking, and a pleasant smile on her face. "Oh, but I thought we could spend some time together," she said. Jade raised an eyebrow. "As a family," Lily continued, adding emphasis on the word family. "So we all could watch up."

"Sounds terrible, but this project is worth a huge part of my grade." Jade then turned towards her brother, stretching her hands out, moving to pick him up. "Come on, Ash, let's go."

"Oh, he can stay," Lily

"No, he can't!" Jade snapped. Ash paused mid chew, juice dripping down his chin. He glanced over at Jade with confusion. "He wants to spend time with his big sis," she said, forcing cheer into her voice. "Right, Ash?"

Ash slowly shook his head before glancing over Jade's shoulder, smiling brightly "Mommy's home. I want to see mommy."

"A…are you sure?" Jade pressed.

"Yes, J. I missed her."

Lily further into the room, moving around the kitchen table to get closer to her son. She bent down to his eye level. "I missed you too, sweetie." Jade quickly blocked her with her body. She took in a deep breath when she felt her mother reach out and place the tag back into the collar of her shirt.

"Ash, do you remember my pear phone number?" Jade whispered. Ash made a big show of puffing his out his chest, ready to respond. Jade quickly wagged her finger before placing them against her lips, sending him a wink. Ash giggled before placing a finger to his lips. He leaned forward, his hot breath against her ear.

"Yes, I still do," he whispered.

"Good," Jade answered. "Just like always, if you need me for anything, _anything_ , just call me and I'll be back here in ten minutes."

"I know." He rolled his eyes. "You always tell me."

"I can never tell you enough." Jade grabbed him by the back of his head and gave him a loud, sloppy kiss on his cheeks. Ash squirmed but heartily laughed at the attention he was receiving. "Be good."

Jade straightened up, before walking behind her brother's chair and moving around the kitchen table. She tapped her pockets to make sure she had her car keys and phone while making her way towards the front door. Upon hearing the click-clack of heel behind her, Jade picked up her speed, practically flinging herself out the front door towards her car.

Tori glanced up from pear phone, a smile set upon her face, which quickly faded into a look of confusion as Jade made her way around the car. She turned back upon spotting Lily standing in the door way. Jade open her car door, dropping herself into the driver's seat, before slamming the door shut. Tori reached out and steadied the rear-view mirror as it violently shook.

"Jayden, we were thinking of going out to dinner so we may not be here when you get back," Lily called from her place on the front patio

"Whatever, Lily," Jade shouted back. Without sparing a glance at Tori, she stuck her keys into the ignition before starting the car. "Let's go," she ordered before peeling away from the curb.

"Who was that?" Tori questioned. She tried to turn in her seat to catch a glimpse. Jade accelerated, turning around a corner, throwing Tori into the car door. The car's tires squealed loudly in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

"No one." Jade answered gruffly. She offered a quiet apology as Tori straightened herself in her seat.

"Is she your sister?"

"No."

"An aunt?"

"No!"

"Your mother?"

Jade quickly pressed her foot on to the breaks, pulling up to a stop sign. Tori threw her hands out, placing them onto the dashboard, bracing herself. The seatbelt across her chest dug into her, pressing harshly against the exposed skin of her neck. "I don't have one!" Jade spat. She looked both ways before pulling out of the neighborhood, moving her car across two lanes.

"Well, whoever she is, she's pretty," Tori commented. She pulled down the visor in front of her to examine the reddening mark on her neck.

"No, she's not," Jade mumbled.

"Oh, hey, you have some juice on your chin," Tori commented. She leaned forward and dug around in her school bag. Letting out a cry of triumph, she pulled out a small packet and tore it open. "Would you like a tissue?"

_"Would you like a tissue?" Lily asked, brushing a few strands of hair out of Jade's face. Leaning over to one side, the bed beneath them creaking at the shift of weight, Lily carefully moved her right hand, glancing at the clear sticky substance on her fingers._

_Jade remained silent, her sharp green eyes pointed up at the ceiling. Her lips trembled, her body shook, and a few quiet whimpers flowed from behind her teeth. Dark brown hair was matted against her forehead, and rested wildly on the pillows behind her. She shivered as the sheet covering her bare body slipped off as Lily moved snatching a tissue box off of her bedside table._

_"Why are you so quiet now?" Lily questioned, glancing down at her daughter. She carefully wrapped a tissue around her damp fingers, wiping away the bodily fluid. Pausing, she inspected the pink nail polish on some of her fingers, checking for cracks and chips. After a moment of silence, she looked over at Jade again. Reaching out, she brushed a tear away with her thumb._

_"It's okay to cry," Lily said, running her knuckles against Jade's cheek. "Girls are always a mess of emotions afterwards." Jade's breathing quickened, her chest rose up and down. The whites around her green eyes started to turn red. Her nose began to change to a bright pink as a few silent tears began to spill down her cheeks._

_Lily placed a light kiss on Jade's forehead before plucking another tissue out of the box, moving her hand in between her daughter's legs. Jade hissed, trying to move away, but her legs stayed limp. She flinched upon feeling the tissue against her raw skin, cleaning up the residue. Lily balled up the tissue before tossing it into a nearby trashcan._

_"It would also be best if you don't tell your father about any of this." Lily picked up her robe from the floor. She slipped it onto her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around her, tie it closed with a firm knot. She fluffed up her hair before getting off of the bed, checking her reflection in a mirror. "I don't want him to be jealous of all the attention I'm giving you and not him."_

_Lily walked towards the bedroom door. She twisted the handle all of the way before slowly pulling the door open. Stepping into the hallway, the darkness instantly enveloped her. Jade slowly turned her head, looking at the entry way to her room. She wasn't able to see her mother, except for her pale feet. "I love you, Jayden," Lily's voice called out. "My little gemstone."_

"Jade, red light!" Tori screamed.

Jade jumped, quickly looking up and spotting the traffic light. "Shit!" She stomped hard on the break, grunting as she was thrown forward. The car rolled a few inches past the white line. Vehicles in front of her honked loudly, one slightly swerved, as they car skidded to a stop. Breathing hard, Jade glanced over at Tori, who was then thrown back into her seat. "I'm so sorry, Tori."

"I knew it!" Tori shouted, pointing a finger into Jade's face. Her brown hair was tossed around, adding to the wild look on her face. "It's just like last time. You are trying to kill me"

"It was an accident, I swear." Jade held a hand up, pressing her thumb into the palm of her hand. Tori slapped it away, trying to control her breathing. Jade took deep breath, placing her shaking hands back onto the steering wheel. "I-I just have a lot of things…on my mind," she muttered.

"Like what? Your fake alibi?" Tori placed a hand onto her chest. She leaned back into her seat, her eyes closed. Her lips began to silently move.

Jade bit her bottom lip. "I…was just…planning things for our project."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few tags have been updated. Tags and things will continue to be updated in the future. And, like in this chapter, I will continue to add trigger warnings as well when need be. I hope all of this helps for you readers.
> 
> Please let me know what you think.


	4. IV

**IV**

“I’m telling you, something is off with Jade,” Tori hissed, glancing over her shoulder at the lunch table Jade and Beck were sitting at. He was talking quietly into her ear, pushing his plate closer towards her. Jade offered up a small smile before placing a kiss on his cheek.

“She’s always off, she’s Jade,” Andre answered with a shrug. He raised an eyebrow before placing his hands on the portable keyboard in front of him. He played a few chords while humming a soft tune. Suddenly he slammed his hands down, sighing hard. “Nope, not good.”

Cat squealed around a sip of her juice. She placed the glass onto the table before excitedly flapping her hands. “My brother-”

“Oh, we know, little red,” Andre quickly cut her off. Her smile slowly faded as she turned towards him. “Not that we don’t enjoy your little anecdotes,” he added,

“Kay, kay,” Cat giggled. 

“No, it’s something else,” Tori insisted. “You weren’t with us the other day.”

Andre shrugged before moving the portable piano off of the table. Tori gave him a look of annoyance while she ducked her head to avoid getting hit “So she doesn’t want to talk about her family.” He quickly looked at Cat out of the corner of his eye. “It’s a refreshing change sometimes.”

“This juice is refreshing,” Cat piped up. 

“Yeah, but she seemed spooked,” Tori said. “I don’t know, I can’t really put my finger on it.”

“So, why don’t you ask her?” she asked.

Tori raised a shoulder before looking over at Jade again. She was looking down at Beck’s plate, picking at the food with her fork as he continued to talk to her. From time to time, she would look up at him and nodded a few times. “I’m going to go and talk to her,” she announced, getting up from her seat.

“I’m going to go and get another sandwich,” Beck announced. He picked reached into his bag and pulled out his wallet before getting up from the lunch table. 

“Get me a cookie,” Jade ordered.

Beck turned around, slowly walking backward. “What’s the magic word?” he prompted.

Jade lifted her eyes to the sky as she thought. She then tapped her chin, before smiling warmly. “I love you,” she answered.

Beck laughed. “The correct answer was please, but that will always work.” He walked back over to the table, and placed a hand on the bench, before leaning down and giving her a firm kiss. Jade smiled into the embrace, and placed her hands onto his cheeks, pressing her forehead against his. 

Tori cleared her throat as she approached the table. Jade pulled away before glaring at her. “I seem to always have bad timing with these things,” Tori said nervously. Beck playfully jostled Tori as he passed her on his way to a nearby food truck.

“No, you normally spray liquid cheese on people,” Jade pointed out. She frowned as Tori sat down across from her. “I didn’t invite you to sit,” she added, picking up her fork, stabbing a few pieces of fruit, and then shoving it into her mouth. 

“You also didn’t stop me either,” Tori answered with a smile.

Jade groaned loudly, rolling her eyes. “What do you want, Tori?” she asked, her voice garbled around the food. Her pale cheeks were a bit puffed out, juice dripping down her chin. 

Tori laced her fingers together before placing her hands into her lap. She smiled brightly as Jade eyed her with a raised eyebrow. “I just want to know that you’re okay,” she answered.

“I’m the chizz,” Jade said with a smirk. She dropped her fork before pushing away the two plates in front of her. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” she asked, wiping the juice from her chin. She waited, tapping her fingers against the table as Tori fidgeted in her set.

“Well, you just get so tense when your family is brought up,” Tori said slowly.

Jade pulled her lips into a straight line. “Your sister is Trina, and you’re talking to me about my family being weird?” she scoffed. 

“I didn’t say weird,” she quickly shook her head. The two stared at each other for a brief moment, before nodding in agreement making comments about how weird Trina actually is, with Jade adding in that no one at Hollywood Arts liked her. “I’m just worried about you,” Tori admitted

“Why?”

“Because you’re my friend,” Tori simply answered.

“I’m not buying that.” Jade rolled her eyes. She began to clean up the trash from around the table, piling it onto her empty plate. “If you want to change partners on the project, just say so.”

“I don’t.”

“Good.” Jade crossed her arms before plopping them onto the table, causing the silverware, glasses, and plates to rattle. “Are we still on for your place tonight?”

“Sure, okay,” Tori sighed. She then gasped, her eyes wide and an excited smile on her face. “Oh, in fact, I came up with a cool idea.” She got up from her seat before rushing around the table and grabbing Jade by her wrist. “Come on!” 

Jade let out a cry of pain as Tori pulled on her wrist. Snatching her arm back, Jade adjusted her dark shirt sleeve, tugging it down toward her hand to fully cover her arm. Tori covered her mouth with her hands, letting out a small gasp. 

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “Are you-”

“I’m fine!” Jade snapped. She got up from her seat, snatching her school bag from the ground next to the table. “Just leave me alone,” she muttered. Beck cried out as she brushed past him, back into the school. 

“Jade,” Tori called out.

“I’ll see you after school!”

\---

Jade walked up to the Tori’s front door. Adjusting the sleeves of her shirt, she took a deep breath before reaching up and pressing the doorbell. Her pear phone vibrated in her pocket as she heard footsteps from inside the house. Pulling the electronic out, she quickly checked her messages. She had missed seven texts, all of them from the same person. She opened and read the most recent one. 

**Lily:** Will you be home for dinner? I’m still waiting to spend some time with you, and my family as a whole. 

Jade quickly deleted the message before powering off her phone, before placing it back into her pocket. She pulled a pair of scissors out of her school bag and began to open and close them rapidly.

“Since when do you ring the doorbell?” Tori asked as soon as she opened the front door. She stood to the side and waved Jade into her home, who quickly tossed her bag onto the couch. Mrs. Vega glanced down at the item before glancing up at Jade.

Jade stopped and looked back at her, blinking rapidly. “I like your hair,” Jade said slowly, reaching up and twirling her fingers at the ends of Mrs. Vega’s hair. “So pretty.” She smiled. 

“Thank you,” Mrs. Vega smiled, reaching up and running her fingers through her hair. “Brown dye # 5.”

Jade’s smile instantly faded. She frowned and turned to face Tori who just finished closing the front door and locking it behind her. “Tori, your mom isn’t afraid of me,” she pouted. “This isn’t fun,” she said firmly, closing her fingers with a loud snip.

“My daughter is Trina,” Mrs. Vega said with a soft sigh. “I think if I can handle her, I can handle anything.”

“That’s okay. I like a challenge,” Jade said, a smirk forming. Tori quickly grabbed Jade by the upper elbow and pulled her towards the kitchen where she had a laptop, a microphone, and a pair of headphones set up. 

Mrs. Vega turned off the television before getting up from the couch and following the two into the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked.

“Sure,” Jade answered, plopping herself into an empty chair. She pulled another one away from the table before propping her feet up. “Thank you, Mrs. Vega.” Tori sighed before pushing Jade’s feet off of the chair as Mrs. Vega placed a glass of iced tea onto the table. “So, your original idea was crap. Now, we need to come up with something and fast.”

“Thank you, Jade.” Tori rolled her eyes. 

“You’re welcome.”

For the next few hours Tori and Jade sat at the table and pitched song ideas back and forth for their project. They had been working for about three days since the project was announced and still hadn’t come up with a topic. Both thought it would be easy to just choose a song and analyze every portion of the piece for their project, but found this idea hard in itself because the two had vastly different tastes in music. Of course, they both enjoyed the performer of the song ‘Take a Hint’. Approaching this subject, the two ended up sidetracked and talked at length about that horrific night.

It wasn’t until Mrs. Vega had announced how late it was, reminding them that it was a school night, that the two had realized they were still behind on their project. A proposal was due at the end of the week. Jade stood up and stretched, suggesting that Tori let her borrow her recording equipment and save their ideas into a word doc on a memory stick. Sometimes she gets her best music ideas late at night. 

“Tori, I’ve seen you when you’re sleep deprived,” Jade said when Tori tried to insist that she would occasionally get musical inspiration at night. “You’re a monster. Worse than Trina.”

Mrs. Vega snorted as she got up from the living room and began to clean up the kitchen. Tori and Jade had gone through various bags of junk food ranging from popcorn to a few pints of ice cream. 

“It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Vega,” Jade said, placing her school bag on her shoulder. She waited as Tori transferred some files from her computer to a memory stick, and packed up the microphone and headphones into a small bag. Jade received the items before stuffing them into her school bag.

“You can call me Holly,” she responded. Jade stiffened when Holly gave her a hug and pressed a light kiss to her forehead “Get home safely,” she added with a smile. Jade’s eyes followed her as she made her way up the stairs to the second floor.

“Huh,” Jade muttered. She turned to follow Tori who was heading towards the front door. “That was weird.”

“What was weird?” Tori asked, pausing with her hand on the door knob. “My mom’s always like that. Anytime I bring a friend home,” she explained. “Doesn’t yours…do that?” she questioned slowly, immediately regretting the decision to ask when she spotted Jade’s eyebrows lowering, her face pulling into a frown. 

“No, I don’t have one.” Jade said firmly. “Not anymore.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her pear phone, pressing the power button to turn it back on. “And that’s a good thing,” she whispered.

“What?”

“I said I’ll see you later.” Jade pushed Tori out of the way, half-smiling as she almost fell into a nearby open closet. Pulling the door opened, her smile turned into a look of shock, as she stared at her mother on the other side of the door. “Lily?”

“Oh, good,” she said brightly, placing a hand to her chest. “I have the right place.”

“What are you doing here?” Jade demanded.

“I’m here to take you home,” Lily said, a light giggle laced among her words. Jade tensed as she felt a chill race down her spine. “Your phone was off-”

“I was tired of you texting me,” she interrupted. “You wouldn’t leave me along during school.”

“Some guy named Beck called and left a message with your father saying he couldn’t pick you up,” Lily finished as if she weren’t interrupted. She then threw her hands into the air, as if she were popping out of a cake. “So, here I am.”

“Where’s Ash?” Jade asked.

“Out of town for the night with your father,” Lily answered with a wave of her hand. “They’re attending some sports game.” She pushed the strap of her pure up onto her shoulder, smiling expectantly at her daughter. Jade slowly licked her bottom lip, before glancing down at her phone that had vibrated showing she had a missed call and message from Beck. She quickly read the screen, seeing the message he left about not being able to pick her up. “Are you ready to go?”

“Thanks, I almost dislocated my shoulder,” Tori said, rolling her eyes as she straightened herself back up. She stopped when she spotted Lily standing at the door. “Oh, hello. I saw you at Jade’s the other day. Briefly. Are you her aunt?”

“Oh, no,” Lily giggled. Jade scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m her mother, Lily.” She stepped around Jade and held out her hand. Tori glanced over at Jade, who was staring hard at the ground, before offering up a smile and shaking Lily’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Tori answered brightly. She paused when she spotted Lily peering at her face, her head tilted to the side. “Yes these are my real cheek bones.”

“Good genes,” she nodded. “So, Jadeyn, are you ready?”

“It’s Jade, and…no,” Jade slowly lifted her head. “Turns out, we’re not agreeing much on our project so I need to stay here for the night and work on it with Tori.” She turned around and faced the Latina, raising an eyebrow. “Right?”

Tori was about to deny their plans, but forced herself to stop. While she hadn’t been attending Hollywood Arts for too long, she did know how strong and scary Jade West normally acts. At this moment, however, Tori saw an emotion she didn’t think she would ever see in her Goth friend. It wasn’t only etched into her eyes, but clearly written all over her face.

Jade West didn’t look scared, she looked absolutely terrified.


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Trigger warning for self-harm

Jade loudly cleared her throat before reaching out and pulling Tori close to her side. Tori opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it in pain as she felt Jade’s fingernails digging into her upper arm. “I stay here pretty often, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You do?” Tori asked, her eyes widening in surprise. 

“Tori…such a kidder,” Jade snickered. She raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes at the Latina. “Remember…our project…” she insisted through clenched teeth.

“Right, let me go ask my mom,” Tori said with a small laugh. She looked in between the two of them for a few seconds before heading towards the stairs. “I’ll…be right back,” she said slowly. Jade watched her climb the stairs before pushing on the front door. Lily stepped to the side, causing the door to swing shut. 

“I really wish you’d come home with me,” Lily pouted. “We haven’t had any time together.”

“Good,” Jade snapped. “Let’s keep it that way.”

“Jayden,” Lily sighed. Her words were laced with parental disappointment. “I know you don’t mean that.” She reached out, and ran her the knuckles from her pointer and middle fingers down her daughter’s cheek.

“Don’t!” Jade snarled, slapping Lily’s hand away. The loud crack echoed through the following silence. Jade slowly shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. She took a few small steps backward. “Don’t touch me,” she whispered. 

“I don’t understand all of your animosity,” Lily slowly shook her head. A smile slowly emerged onto her face, this time it didn’t reach her eyes. They appeared flat and dark. A muscle in Jade’s jaw twitched. “I just want to spend some time with my baby girl.”

_“Mommy, what’s that?” six-year-old Jade asked, looking up from her toys on the floor. She rested her chin in her hands, watching her mother in the mirror. Her green eyes followed the black and gold tube in her hand, the pink tip smearing on her full lips. Jade climbed to her feet and walked closer. “What are you doing?”_

_“Mommy’s putting on makeup,” Lily answered, before rubbing her lips together. She picked up a nearby tissue and dabbed at the corner of her lips before smiling at her reflection. “Everyone woman wears it to enhance her features.”_

_“My features?” Jade repeated. She placed a hand on her mother’s thigh before leaning over, trying to get a better look. She moved her head underneath her mother’s arm, moving in close, squinting. “Then why are you putting it on your face?” she asked._

_Lily frowned, crumpling up the tissue and tossing it onto the counter. “What do you mean, baby?” She picked her daughter up and placed her into her lap. Jade leaned back, snuggling in close._

_“If it’s for your features, then shouldn’t it be on your feet?” Jade asked. She lifted her foot and pointed at her toes, rapidly wiggling them. “Like mine.” Her nails were painted a bright blue._

_“You’re a cutie,” Lilly giggled._

_“You look pretty, mommy.”_

_“Thank you. How about we see what this looks like on you?”_

_“Okay,” Jade answered excitedly. Lily picked up the tube of lipstick and reapplied a bit more to her full lips. She then gently turned her daughter’s head before leaning down and before pecking her lightly on the lips._

_As Lily chuckled, Jade squirmed away before happily glancing at her reflection. She reached up and lightly tapped a finger against her bright pink lips. She wiped the excess off of her finger before rubbing her lips together._

_“It’s a good color on you,” Lily commented. Jade sat up proudly as her mother leaned a bit closer, pressing their cheeks together._

_“Am I pretty like you, mommy?”_

_“Of course.” Lily wrapped her arms around her daughter’s waist, holding her tightly. “You’re really pretty, baby girl,” she whispered into her daughter’s ear before placing a light kiss to the side of her head._

“I don’t want to spend time with you,” Jade muttered. She rubbed a hand along her stomach, wincing as it began to churn. She took in a shaky breath, before forcefully swallowing the sudden influx of saliva coating her teeth and gums. Lily watched her with a raised eyebrow, before a look of concern crossed her face. “Just leave me alone.” Jade then reached into her schoolbag, opening the main pocket and rummaging around inside. 

“I guess you’re right,” Lily sighed. She tightly gripped her purse strap with two hands. Her smile quickly faded. Clearing her throat, she exhaled slowly before raising a shoulder. “You’re almost an adult and I’m going to have to start understanding that.” She then glanced over at Jade. “I guess Asher will get all of my attention now.”

Jade’s head snapped up as her bag fell off of her shoulder and thumped loudly onto the floor. Lily glanced down at the bag before glancing at her daughter with a slightly amused look. “What did you just say?” Jade demanded.

Before Lily could answer, Tori made her way back down the stairs. She paused in the middle and leaned over the railing, glancing at the two of them. “My mom says it’s okay for you to stay over,” she said quietly. Jade quickly picked her bag up off of the floor before walking over to the stairs.

“Great,” Jade muttered.

“Well, do you need me to run home and bring you anything?” Lily asked. Jade paused next to Tori on the stairs. She didn’t look at the Latina, but slightly shook her head no.

“I’m sure we have everything she’ll need here,” Tori politely answered. 

“Okay, well, call me at all if you need anything,” Lily said. She walked over to the stairs before reaching up and hand. “It was nice meeting you Tori,” she said, shaking her hand. Tori nodded before heading down the stairs, following Lily to the door. After biding her a quiet goodbye, Tori closed and locked the front door. 

“Jade,” Tori called out.

“I’m going to get ready for bed,” Jade firmly insisted, stomping up the stairs. Tori shut off all of the light before rushing up the stairs behind her friend. Jade entered the nearest bathroom, flicked on the light and dumped her schoolbag on the floor.

“Do you need your backpack?” she asked.

Jade stared at her reflection in the mirror. She examined her eye makeup before picking up a washcloth and a bar of soap. “You’re a girl Tori, figure it out,” she snapped, rolling her eyes. 

“We have stuff here in the bathroom,” Tori pointed out.

“Well, I like my stuff!” Jade shouted causing Tori to jump. She sighed hard, before turning on the faucet. She then pushed the bathroom door close with her foot. Sticking the wash cloth underneath the running water, she scrubbed the soap into it and began washing her face. 

After she had washed away all of her makeup, she took another glance at her reflection in the mirror. “I don’t want to look like you,” she muttered. Her stomach violently clenched, causing her to double over. She threw herself to her knees next to the toilet, before lifting the lid of the toilet and harshly emptying the contents of her stomach. She threw up so hard that a bit came out of her nose. 

Jade shakily got to her feet and grabbed a few pieces of toilet paper, wiping her nose and mouth before tossing it into the toilet and flushing it down the pipes. She stuck her hands underneath the still running water before splashing it into her face. Taking a deep breath, Jade reached into her schoolbag and pulled out a pair of her favorite scissors.

She placed the scissors onto the counter before rolling up her left sleeve. She ran her thumb across the dark pink lines etched into the skin of her forearm. Jade turned the water faucet handle to hot and tapped her fingers on the counter, waiting for steam to rise up. Once it reached its hottest temperature, Jade picked up the scissors and stuck them underneath the heavy flow of water.  
Breathing deeply, Jade removed the scissors from under the water before sticking her left arm out. Her right hand shook as she opened the cutting instrument, and moved it towards her already scared skin. Tightly shutting her eyes, she let out a quiet sob as she dragged the metal across her skin. 

Jade jumped when she heard a loud knock on the door. She closed the scissors, and stuck her arm underneath the running water, hissing at its temperature, before dropping the cutting tool into her schoolbag before shutting off the water. “What?” she called out. 

“I have spare pajamas for you,” Holly said, slowly opening the door. She placed them onto the counter next to the bathroom sink. “I also got you a spare blanket and towel.”

“Thanks,” Jade said quietly, tucking her left arm behind her back. She offered up a small smile before glancing away. 

Holly nodded. She turned to leave before stopping and looking down at Jade’s side. “Oh, you have a stain.” Jade glanced down and bit her lip when she noticed a small spot of blood on the side of her grey shirt.

“I must have spilled some of my drink from earlier.” Jade shrugged. “It’s no problem. I’ll wash it when I get home.”

“I can wash it here if you’d like.”

Jade raised a shoulder, making a quiet sound of agreement. Holly nodded once more. She glanced down at the spot one more time before reaching up and cupping Jade’s cheek. “…Goodnight, Jade,” she said warmly before exiting the bathroom. Jade once again closed the door with her foot. She then pulled at the bottom of her shirt, glancing down at the blood stain on her side.

“Shit,” Jade muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few tags have been updated. Tags and things will continue to be updated in the future. And, like in this chapter, I will continue to add trigger warnings as well when need be. I hope all of this helps for you readers.
> 
> Please let me know what you think.  
> [knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com](http://knocking-down-hesitation.tumblr.com)


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tori talks to her mother about her suspicions while Jade goes and confronts her own mother

“Mom, are you busy?” Tori asked, knocking on her parents’ open bedroom door. Her mother looked up from a newspaper, shaking her head. Turning down the sheets on her husband’s side of the bed, she patted the mattress before shifting over a bit. 

“You just missed your father,” Holly said, folding up the newspaper and tossing it to the end of the bed, “in case you wanted to do some digging around.”

“What are you-”

“You may want to shut the door,” she instructed. Tori quickly moved to shut the door behind her before walking over to the bed and climbing up. “I’m worried about Jade too,” she sighed. 

“Worried?” Tori scoffed. “Who says I’m worried?”

“Because you’re Tori,” Holly answered with a small laugh. She waited as Tori moved underneath the covers before snuggling into her mother’s side. “Last night, I noticed blood on Jade’s shirt, by her waist.”

“So?” she questioned.

“How common is an injury on your side?” she asked, reaching an arm around her daughter’s shoulders, pulling her in close. “Especially something cutting you? I mean, it’s not like they have woodshop at your school.”

“True, there wouldn’t be much room for it.” Tori nodded in agreement. “But its Jade, she probably loves blood,” she added, raising a shoulder. 

‘Enough to wear it?”

“I repeat, it’s Jade.” Tori chuckled before looking up at the ceiling in thought. She let out a deep sigh. “But, you’re right. She really hasn’t been herself.”

“When did you notice a change?” Holly asked. 

Tori pulled her PearPhone from the waistband of her pajama pants. She quickly pulled up the calendar app, checking the dates on her phone. “About a week ago. Right around the time…her mother came back,” she muttered. 

“You think it’s a coincidence?”

“Or her period, I mean she tends to get meaner.” Tori tapped her chin with the bottom of her phone. “…if that’s possible.”

“I’ve always felt like she’s hurting,” Holly admitted. She began to lightly run her fingers through her daughter’s hair. “There’s normally a reason for people who take up interests…like making gory videos that scare her little brother.”

Tori couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Jade’s video reel of her audition to get back into Hollywood Arts. It was so gory and horrific that somehow it was approved to be shown at Parent’s Night later in the year. “Not necessarily. She may just like it,” Tori pointed out. 

“That’s true,” Holly agreed. “Thank you for keeping me in check.” She removed her arm from around her daughter’s shoulders, before grabbing her hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “Tori, I want you to keep being a friend to her.”

“We’re not friends.” Tori dismissed the motion waving her empty hand into the air, as if shooing away the thought. 

“So you say.” She shrugged. “Like I said, I’ll treat any of your friends like my own, but I’ll leave this one to you. Although, I would like to keep an eye on her. Just in case your father needs to get involved.”

Tori quickly sat up. She turned and faced her mother, her dark hair falling into her face. She didn’t bother to reach up and brush it out of her face. Her brown eyes were wide. Tori sucked in a shaky breath, before swallowing hard. “Do you really think it’ll come to that?”

Holly reached out and brushed Tori’s hair back behind her ear. “I think, _you_ think it may come to that.” Tori frowned. “That in turn also makes me worry. Like I said, I won’t talk to him unless you want me to. There’s no need to tie the police up with how busy they are. However, if I feel she’s in any real danger, I will have to do something.”

“I get it, mom.” Tori nodded. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Holly smiled before placing a light kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “How about you go and get Jade and I’ll make us something for breakfast.”

“You’re actually going to cook for all of us?” Tori asked, raising an eyebrow. She always brings up that one morning where her mother had asked if she and her sister Trina wanted breakfast after making a small meal for herself. 

“I’m in a good mood.”

“Cause Trina isn’t coming back until tomorrow?” Tori pressed, laughing lightly. 

“Tori, go!” Holly laughed, pushing her daughter away. Tori performed a back roll off of the bed, landing on her feet before exiting the room. Holly

“Mom,” Tori said, walking back into the room. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern. “Jade’s gone.”

“What do you mean gone?”

Tori rolled her eyes before marching over to the bed. She grabbed her mother by her wrist and tugged her out of the room and down the hall to Trina’s bedroom. She stopped in the doorway before pointing her finger at the made up bed. “See? She’s not here.”

Holly entered the room. “Maybe she’s the type who actually makes up her bed?” she suggested with a shrug.

“Is that a hint?” Tori demanded.

“Clearly it hasn’t been working since I’ve been hinting for the past four years,” she responded, raising a shoulder. Holly crossed her arms over her chest and slowly looked around. The bed was neatly made, and the spare blanket and towel that she had left for Jade was folded neatly and sitting on a nearby chair.

“Ha ha.”

“No, you’re right.” Holly grabbed the blanket and towel from the chair, tucking it underneath her shoulder. “She probably got Beck to take her home. Why don’t you call her and I’ll go throw these in the wash and make breakfast. If you get her on the phone, come get me.”

\---

“Do you want to talk about it?” Beck asked as he pulled his car up in front of Jade’s house. He shifted the gear into park but kept the engine running. He shifted slightly in his seat to turn and face his girlfriend, who stared straight ahead. “J?”

Jade slowly turned to face him, her breath shaky. A corner of her lips slightly turned up before she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. “I love you,” she said sweetly. Beck smiled before lightly kissing her. 

“I know,” he answered, raising an eyebrow.

Jade groaned before punching him on the arm. “I hate that response.”

Beck chuckled lightly. He placed his left arm on the steering wheel before reaching out and cupping Jade’s chin with his right hand. He his girlfriend’s head up before leaning down. He pressed his forehead to Jade’s before firmly pressing his lips against hers. Jade stiffened before relaxing, wrapping her arms around his neck, snaking her fingers through the back of his hair.  
“I love you,” he whispered when they pulled away. 

“Better,” Jade half-smiled. “And no. I don’t want to talk about it.” She sighed before leaning back in her seat. She grabbed her backpack from the floor of the car. Jade moved to open the door but stopped when she felt Beck’s hand on her arm. She rolled her eyes before turning to face him.

“One day you’ll have to.”

“Not today,” she grunted. 

“I know you said that she bothers you, that you really don’t want her in your life, but what if she makes your dad happy?” Beck suggested. 

“My dad’s never happy,” Jade snapped. 

“What about your brother?”

Jade shrugged before biting her lip. “He loves her.”

“Is your unhappiness more important than his happiness?” Beck asked. 

Jade glanced down at the hand on her arm before looking over at him. She placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. She then lightly rubbed her nose against his before opening the passenger side door. After closing it, she reached in through the open window and grabbed her bag. “When it comes to my brother, it isn’t,” she muttered. “I’ll figure things out.”

“Let me know if you need anything,” Beck called after her as she made her way towards the front door. Jade pulled her house keys out of her pocket before waving them above her head. 

“Of course,” she answered. Once reaching the front door, she placed her key in the top lock. Before twisting it open, she pulled her PearPhone out of her pocket. Pressing the power button she brought up the lock screen. Her thumb hovered over the ‘Emergency Call’ button for a few seconds before she pressed it. A dial pad appeared and she quickly punched in 911 before pressing the power button once more, darkening the screen.

“Just in case,” Jade muttered to herself before unlocking the door and stepping inside. Her pulse picked up as she heard Beck’s car rumble away down the street. Closing the door behind her, she slipped her keys back into her pocket before making her way into the kitchen.

Jade paused when she spotted Lily at the stovetop flipping some eggs in a skillet. She grabbed her phone in her pocket, holding it tightly. She tossed her keys onto the table, alerting her mother of her presence. Lily jumped before turning around.

“Oh…sweetie…you scared me,” Lily said, placing a hand to her chest. “You got back just in time. I’m making breakfast.”

“I can see that,” Jade snapped. 

“Um…there’s eggs-”

“I hate eggs,” she interrupted. “I hate breakfast.”

“Right,” Lily said. She placed the spatula she was holding down onto the counter next to her before wiping her hands on her apron, before turning to face her daughter. “Jayden, since we’re alone, I think we should talk.”

“About?” Jade demanded. “There’s such a long list, Lily. Where should we start?” She took a few steps forward but stopped next to the table, keeping a chair in between herself and her mother. “How about…how you got out early?”

“Good behavior,” Lily said with a gentle smiled. 

“Oh, please,” she scoffed.

Lily’s smile quickly faded. She clasped her hands together before looking down at her feet. “I’ve changed,” she whispered. “What I did was wrong-”

“Now you see that it’s wrong?” Jade asked. “ _Now?_ ”

“I’ve made some mistakes.”

“Mistakes?! You-”

Jade bit her tongue and clamped her mouth shut as the front door opened and closed. She heard her brother excitedly talking to her father about the sports game they had attended. She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck before turning to face her father and brother. “You’re back.”

“Hi!” Ash shouted, dropping his bags and breaking into a sprint. 

“Hey bud,” Jade said excitedly. She dropped her bag to the floor before crouching down, holding her arms out. Ash ran past her and straight over to Lily, wrapping his small arms around her waist, burying his face into her thigh. Jade quickly straightened back up and gave her father a harsh glare before turning around. 

Lily smiled brightly before placing the skillet back onto the stove. She then bent down and picked him up, placing a light kiss to his cheek and giving him a tight hug. 

“Oh no,” she whispered.


	7. VII

**VII**

Jade grumbled to herself as sunlight filtered in between her blackout curtains. Cracking one eye open, she glanced over at the digital clock on her dresser, taking note of the time. Heaving a deep sigh, she pulled her black comforter over her head and turned onto her side, digging her cheek into her plump pillow.

A few moments later her bedroom door gently creaked open. Jade tensed up at the familiar sound, her stomach clenching in a tight knot, her pule kicking into high gear, her heart beat a steady staccato in the silence of her safe place. Quiet footsteps patted across the wooden floor, stopping by the side of her bed. Jade tried to steady her shaky breath while squeezing her eyes shut, her entire body rigid.

“Jade,” a light voice whispered. She then felt a heavy felt a heavy weight on her back. Jade quickly sat up and pushed the mass off of her. A loud thump sounded as it landed on the floor. She sucked in a breath, her heart hammering loudly in her ears. It was soon drowned out by her younger brother’s wails as he sat up.

Ash tightly gripped his arm, reared his head back, and let out a howl.

“Ashie, I’m sorry.” Jade flung herself out of her bed. She knelt down next to him and moved to touch his arm. He furiously pulled away from her

“What’s going on?” their father growled as he entered the room. He glared down at the two of them, rubbing the sleep from one of his eyes. Jade raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side as she regarded her father. Normally, he would wear long pants and a t-shirt when he went to sleep. Being dressed in just a pair of boxers caused her much confusion. “What’s with the noise?”

“It was an accident,” Jade muttered. She reached out for her brother once more. Ash glared at her, slapping her hand away, before getting to his feet and shuffling over to his father, who ruffled his son’s hair, all the while staring down his daughter.

“With you, it never is,” he snapped.

Jade got to her feet, angrily marching over to her father, standing toe to toe. She had to tilt her head back to be able to look into his eyes instead of the hairs sprinkled on his chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

Ash whimpered at his father’s legs. He sniffled heavily before tugging on his father’s pant leg. A smile formed on Ash’s face when his father finally picked him up and held him to his hip. Ash instantly buried his face in his father’s neck, refusing to glance over at his sister. 

“You always scare your brother on purpose,” her father answered with a sigh. He held Ash with one arm underneath his backside. Jade slowly shook her head, instantly noting how uncomfortable her father looked, especially with the little dribbles of snot from Ash’s nose dripping down his neck. “How is this any different?”

Jade gritted her teeth. She curled her fingers into fists, and squeezed them tightly, before gently releasing them, repeating this pattern a few times as she slowly caught her breath. “This was an accident,” she hissed. “I didn’t do this on purpose. I would _never_ hurt Ash on purpose.” She then crossed her arms over her chest. “Not like someone in this house.”

“David, what’s wrong?” Lily asked, stepping into the room. Jade took one look at her before rolling her eyes and walking back over to her bed. Lily was wearing a light pink pushup bra with a flower charm in the center, hiding the center clasp. Her pink boy shorts hugged every curve. A white silk robe rested gently on her shoulders. She leaned over and checked on Ash, looking at him in confusion as he lifted his head from his father’s neck and stared hard at the area below her neck. 

Jade rolled her eyes as Lily gasped and quickly tried to cover herself up the robe she was wearing. Lily sent Jade a sheepish look, her hands shaking as she tried to cover herself up. She eventually haphazardly closed the front of the robe, and tied a loose knot. The robe slightly slipped off one of her shoulders. 

“Nothing,” Jade muttered. She picked up her phone from her bedside table and quickly sent off a text. “I accidentally knocked Ash off of the bed.”

Lily smiled gently at her son, lightly stroking his cheek with her finger. “Honey, why don’t you help Asher get cleaned up?” she suggested.

“Come on,” David grunted. He shifted Ash higher up on his hip before exiting the room. Jade glanced up from her phone screen and watched as Lily leaned out the door, only turning toward her daughter when she heard Ash’s bedroom door close.

“Robes tie in the front,” Jade pointed out. “Like that bra.”

Lily reached up and rubbed the back of her neck as her cheeks reddened. She let out an embarrassed giggle. Jade felt her stomach violently clench. “…You caught us at a bad time,” her mother whispered.

“I didn’t _catch_ you doing anything,” Jade pointed out. “Besides, it’s seven in the morning. A little too early, don’t you think?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lily spotted a floor length mirror in the corner of the room. She quickly walked over to it and glanced at her reflection. “Not when you have a lot of time to make up for.” She adjusted her robe before properly fastening it. She then reached up and began to fix her hair, glancing at Jade’s reflection. 

“I didn’t ask for the information.” Jade reached up and pulled her blackout curtains to the side, letting the sunlight filter in. Lily winced as the bright sun reflected off of the mirror and straight into her eyes. She took a step away from the mirror, and looked at the floor as her eyes adjusted. 

“Well…it’s not like I can spend time with you, you’re too busy,” Lily muttered. “However, your school work is important.” Blinking rapidly, she slowly lifted her head before looking over at Jade in disgust, who was picking up a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans from her floor. Jade bundled them up and began to head for her bathroom. “Now that we’re all up, how about some breakfast?” Lily suggested, following closely behind her daughter. “It’ll be a great time to talk and catch up.”

“I have plans,” Jade called over her shoulder. She flipped the light switch in the bathroom with her elbow. She tossed the clothes on the floor, and pushed the door closed with her foot. Lily quickly caught it with her hand. 

“Jade…I’m not the same person you think I am,” she said gently. Jade rolled her eyes before glancing at her reflection in the mirror. She had forgotten to wash the makeup off of her face from the day before. The dark makeup around her eyes were heavily smudged. “What do I have to do for you to believe me?”

“You can leave,” Jade snapped. “For good.”

“But…this is my home,” Lily said quietly. “You’re all my family.”

“You lost both of those things years ago.” Jade pushed heavily on the door. Lily quickly dropped her hand and leaned out of the way so as the door didn’t hit her in the face. She stared at the black wood in front of her. 

“Jade…” she called out, biting her lip as she waited for a response. When she didn’t receive one, she let out a quiet. “I’m sorry,” she said. 

“…Me too,” Jade finally answered.


	8. VIII

"Has anyone seen Jade?" Tori shouted as she ran through the front doors of Hollywood Arts. Trina walked in behind her, staring at her phone. She walked right into Tori, dropping her pear phone to the ground.

"Watch where I'm going," Trina shouted. She then took a step back while crossing her arms over her chest. She shifted her weight to one leg, sticking out her hip. She glared at Tori for a moment before snapping her fingers and pointing to the ground. Tori rolled her eyes before bending down to pick up the phone.

"That makes no sense." Tori commented.

"You make no sense," Trina snapped. She rubbed the screen of her phone against her pant leg, trying to clear off any dirt and smudges. She peered closely checking for cracks.

"That doesn't…never mind." Tori threw her hands up in the air. "Forget it." She marched over to her locker and spun the combination lock. After it popped open, she pocketed the metal object before pulling open her locker door. Tori angrily stuffed her bag into an empty space before sticking her hand in, rummaging around inside.

"Why are you looking for Jade anyway?" Trina asked.

"I haven't seen her in school for the past three days, but all of her teachers say she's in class," Tori explained. She pulled out a binder, a few notebooks, and pens before slamming the door shut.

"So?"

"So, we share a class and I didn't see her." Tori balanced the notebooks and binder against her hip before placing the combination lock back onto her locker. After snapping it shut, she spun the dial around four times. "Nor have I seen her in homeroom."

"She might just sit behind you."

"She hates it when someone else takes her seat." Tori pursed her lips and blew upwards, sweeping her bangs out of her face. "The last time Sinjin sat in her seat, she-"

"Yeah, I'm done listening," Trina interrupted her. She gave Tori a quick wave before shuffling off on her high heels, glancing at her cell phone. She yelled loudly at anyone whom she thought walked in front of her, while she was the one close to running into people.

Tori shook her head as she watched her sister make her down the hallway. She looked over her shoulder when she heard familiar voices from behind her. Cat, Robbie, Rex, Andre, and Beck were making their way down the stairs into the main foyer of the school.

"Guys, hey!" Tori yelled. She waved excitedly before running over.

"What's up, Tori?" Andre asked.

"Have you seen Jade?" Tori demanded.

Andre tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "You're actively looking for Jade?" he asked slowly.

"On purpose?" Robbie added.

"Yes," Tori insisted. "I need to talk to her."

"I haven't seen her today," Cat said, slowly shaking her head. "I haven't seen my brother today either. That should be troubling, but he plays hide and seek a lot. The last time I found him, he was in Alaska," she added. Andre, Robbie, and Beck all stared at her in confusion. Cat smiled brightly and waved at each of them before walking down the rest of the stairs and skipping off down the hall.

"We have class," Andre said to Beck, while pointing in between Robbie and himself. Beck nodded and gave a small wave before turning his attention back to Tori. He flinched a little when he noticed how intensely Tori was staring at him.

Andre and Robbie looked over at Tori. Rex leaned over and waved his hand in front of her face. She angrily batted his hand away before grabbing Beck by the arm and pulling him towards the front doors. She looked around before leaning in close.

"I think she's avoiding me," she whispered.

"Why would you think that?" Beck asked.

"It's…just a feeling I have." Tori shifted her books from one hip to the other. "It's hard to explain, but you have to trust me on this."

"Jade will be fine," Beck answered with a shrug. Tori groaned at his air of calmness. She then straightened up before raising an eyebrow.

"You say that like she's done this before," Tori said slowly.

"She has, before you came to Hollywood Arts." Beck reached up and ran a hand through his hair. A small group of girls standing across the hallway shouted and screamed. Beck looked over at them before chuckling slightly. He then placed his hands on to Tori's shoulders and moved her so that her back was against the row of lockers. He took a step forward, placing his lips right by her ear. "Something happened with her family and she just kind of checked out," he explained.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know all the details." Beck readjusted the strap of his backpack.

"But you do know something."

"It's not my place to say anything."

"Beck," Tori hissed, "I'm worried about her. All creepy, goth, dark parts of her."

"She wasn't always like that," Beck said.

"Huh?"

"Her goth thing," he continued. "She wasn't always into it. It started in middle school, right before her mother left."

"Wait, her mother left?" Tori asked. "Why would she leave and then randomly come back?"

"Who said she left voluntarily?" Beck asked. Tori moved to speak but decided against it. The two continued to stare at each other as the bell rang. Neither moved as the rest of the halls began to swarm with students, racing to their classrooms. Soon, Tori and Beck were the only ones left in the hallway. Doors closing interrupted the silence in various intervals.

"Do you know something?" Tori questioned.

"Yes." Beck smiled. "Male seahorses are the ones that give birth and they can give birth to 2,000 babies at a time."

Tori reached up and rubbed her hand along the back of her neck. She looked up at the clock on the wall before sighing heavily. "…We need to talk. Meet me after school."

\---

Jade tapped her fingers along to the beat of the music playing over the speakers. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two quarters, placing them into the jukebox on her table. She quickly selected a song before looking at her watch. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she took a sip of coffee from the cup in front of her.

She moved her backpack from the floor to the empty chair next to her. A waitress quickly came by and poured some more coffee into her cup. "Is there anything else I can help you with, miss?"

Jade looked up at her and smiled softly. "I'm meeting a friend here. Do you have hazelnut coffee already brewed?"

"We sure do."

"In that case, I'll get your attention when he arrives." Jade cleared her throat before placing her hands onto the table. She laced her fingers together and glanced out the window. After a few moments, she noticed the reflection of the waitress in the window. Jade briefly glanced up at the ceiling before turning to face her. "Yes?" she asked.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" the waitress asked.

"Shouldn't you do your job?" Jade snapped. The waitress held her free hand up in the air before walking away and heading towards the kitchen. Jade turned her attention back to the window. She straightened up upon seeing a police car enter the parking lot. She gave a little wave to the police officer who stepped out of the patrol car. He waved back as he crossed the parking lot.

"Thank you for meeting with me." Jade greeted the man as he claimed the seat across from her. She waved her hand in the air, catching the attention of a waitress, who scurried over and poured Jade's guest a cup of coffee. "Hazelnut, just how you like it."

"Thanks." David Vega gave her a swift nod before picking up his cup and taking a sip. Jade cleared her throat, and shifted slightly in her chair. The legs of the wooden seat creaked loudly. He placed the cup back onto the table before crossing his arms over his chest. "you know, I can't do anything about your mother," he said quietly. He picked up a menu and glanced at the colorful pictures.

"We both know what she's capable of. We know she's going to do something again," Jade responded. She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone had a chance to overhear her conversation. The loud noises from the kitchen and the music playing from the jukebox seemed to drown them out.

David immediately dropped the menu and leaned forward in his seat. "Has she done anything?" he asked.

"No." Jade shook her head. David instantly relaxed. She desperately wanted to lie and tell him that her mother had in fact done something, but knew it was a moot point. She'd be branded as a liar and it wouldn't help her case in the slightest. "She makes me really uncomfortable," she admitted.

"Which I understand completely." David caught the attention of the waitress and gave her his order. The waitress looked in between the two of them for the briefest of moments before heading back to the kitchen. "I was there when she was arrested the first time. But, Jade, if you can't get any real evidence-"

"So, she's going to have to touch me again," Jade concluded.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." Jade turned towards the jukebox and began to flip through the offerings, looking for a new song. "I think she's bothering Ash."

"Do you have-"

"No," she snapped, "he's just acting weird. Wanting to be with her more."

"She's his mother," David said gently. "He was too young to even remember anything that happened. You and I both remember her as a monster. He sees the one parent he's loved the most. I assume your father is still-"

"Emotionless and hating the world?" Jade interrupted. "Yeah, he is."

David chuckled at her bluntness. He smiled graciously at the waitress when she presented him with his food. Jade looked at the waitress and raised an eyebrow, as if challenging her to say something. The waitress hastily walked away. "Has he always been that way?" he asked.

Jade chuckled. "It's obviously where I get it from." She waved her hand, declining his offer of food from his plate.

"You only know him as your father-"

"My absentee father who allowed this to happen," Jade snapped.

"Maybe not," David said around a mouthful of food. "Maybe he's powerless against your mother as well. Women can be abusive."

Jade paused. She reached a hand up and began to tap her fingers against her chin. David waited patiently, continuing to eat his food, as she went deep into thought about what he had just said. "You think she's abused my father?" she finally asked.

"It's a theory I have," he admitted.

"Can you look in to it?" Jade asked.

"I can," David said slowly.

"Will you?" she pressed.

"I need to have a reason to do it, Jade, you know that. Using my facilities and resources for personal reasons-"

"Please!" Jade slowly looked around the diner, realizing that she had spoken louder than intended when noticed many people staring at her. She placed a hand against her forehead, as if to shield her eyes, while slumping low in her seat.

David finished his plate before pushing it away. He lifted his hands in the air, miming that he was scribbling on a piece of paper. The waitress nodded and held up two fingers. He drained the rest of his coffee before sighing hard. "…Give me three days," he muttered.

"Thank you," Jade cried. She quickly grabbed a hold of his hand and began to shake it violently. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate this."

"Yeah, I know." With his empty hand, he patted the back of Jade's. "In the meantime, write down everything you see or hear. No detail is too small or too stupid."

Jade licked her lips. "W-what if she…"

"If you feel like you or your family is in danger, don't hesitate to call me." David quickly released Jade's hand as the waitress returned with their checks. He briefly glanced at the receipt before placing a few dollar bills on top of it. "I'll have a car circling your area. A new Neighborhood Watch program, so to speak." He then tossed a few dollar bills on top of Jade's receipt.

"Don't tell, Tori," Jade said, "or Holly. They don't need to know."

"I never bring police work home," he answered with a shrug.

"But I was already in your home," she pointed out.

"Touché," he laughed. He and Jade got up out of their seats, she grabbed her backpack from the chair next to her, and the two walked out of the diner together. He pulled his keys out of his pocket before walking over towards the squad car. "Do you need a ride back to school?" he asked.

"I'll walk." Jade placed her backpack onto one of her shoulders. "Three days, Mr. Vega," she reminded him. David gave her a small salute before getting into his car. Jade nodded in return before heading down the sidewalk. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as David pulled out of the diner parking lot and into traffic.

Jade quickly turned the corner and headed for a hair salon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my new twitter, [@AngelofStarzFFN](https://twitter.com/AngelofStarzFFN), for updates on all of my works!


	9. IX

It had been past the three days that Jade was promised and she was on edge. Lily had been home for about two weeks now, and every time she was around Jade felt her entire world would implode at any given moment. And yet, all has been quiet. Lily had left her alone, and when Jade asked for space, her request was granted. Soon her churning stomach was a mere memory. Of course, that didn’t stop Jade from waking up every morning with a feeling of dread.

“I still don’t like your hair,” Lily commented at the breakfast table. She was seated to Jade’s right, looking at her daughter’s dark hair with great disdain. Jade fought back a smile at the memory of introducing her new hairstyle to her family. 

She had dyed her brown hair a rich black and cut it into a medium length bob. She also got her nose and eyebrow pierced. Upon entering her house, she heard her father call out for her, no doubt wanting to talk to her about skipping school. The idea made her scoff, knowing that her father never cared about what she did until Lily came back. 

Lily was so upset it was like her pet got run over by a vehicle, David scolded her for deciding on the change without consulting the them. Ash, on the other hand, loved the look and tried to copy his older sister by attempting to pierce his eyebrow with a thumbtack. He was now sporting a large bandage over his eyebrow.

“Good,” Jade snickered. She cut into her eggs with her knife, splitting the yolk. The runny yellow liquid spilled down her plate, rushing towards her pancakes. She slowly put her fork and knife down, her hunger disappearing. The food reminded her of the conversation she had with David Vega. Jade shifted a bit to her left, trying to escape the smell of Lily’s perfume. 

“You had such pretty brown hair,” Lily commented. She reached out to touch a lock of Jade’s hair. Jade quickly slapped her hand away. Lily recoiled, wincing while grabbing her hand. A few red lines appeared on the back of her hand, from where Jade’s nails had scratched her. Jade rolled her eyes at the overly exaggerated pained look on Lily’s face. 

Lily looked over at David, raising an eyebrow. His face was hidden behind a large newspaper. She loudly cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow. David looked around the paper at his wife, taking note of the annoyed look on her face. He folded up the newspaper before getting up and grabbing a medicine basket out of a nearby cabinet. 

“I felt I was too pale,” Jade answered. Ash dropped his fork and looked down at his skin. Jade half-smiled. “You’re fine just the way you are, Ash. I just needed a change.”

“Why did you cut it?” Ash questioned. He picked up a pancake with his hands, ignoring the stickiness of the syrup piled on top and took a huge bite. 

“I don’t like feeling it on my neck.”

“And your eyebrow?” Lily pressed. She held her hand out as her husbanded tended to the cut. David sprayed some disinfectant onto them. Lily let out a loud squeal as the medicine began to sting. Jade rolled her eyes. Ash laughed and tried to roll his eyes as well, but he only moved them up and down. Jade let out a loud laugh. “It makes you look like a loose girl.”

“I just wanted a new look,” Jade snapped. “Get over it, Lily.”

“Don’t talk to your mother like that,” David warned her, placing small Band-Aids on the cuts. Lily frowned and waved him away. She crossed her arms over her chest, huffing in annoyance. 

“I can handle my own, David, thank you,” she snapped. David uttered an apology while beginning to clean up the left-over trash from the Band-Aids, and placed the disinfectant spray and Band-Aid box back into the medicine basket.

“I was just-”

“Trying to help, like you always do.” Lily spoke slowly. “You’re not helping, you’re making things worse. I’m trying to work things out with _my_ children, but you step in and take over. How am I supposed to be taken seriously?”

“I’m sorry.” David placed the medicine basket back into the nearby cabinet before retaking his seat at the kitchen table. He quickly picked up his newspaper and began reading it again.

Jade was surprised to see the newspaper moving and crinkling. She then noticed her father’s hands slightly shaking. She bit her bottom lip, stopping herself from say something. She knew it’d be a moot point; trying to talk to her father about feelings or emotions would be like talking to a brick wall. However, she’s starting to understand why. 

“You should be,” Lily continued. Jade pushed her plate away. She slowly curled her hands into fists, placing them into her lap. “It is no wonder Jayden doesn’t have any respect for anyone.”

“Respect is only saved for people who give it,” Jade said. She quickly clenched her jaw, tensing up. Ash stopped chewing and placed his pancake back onto his plate. He lowered his head, a pout beginning to form. 

“Are you saying I don’t respect you?” Lily asked, her eyes widening. Jade refused to look in her direction. “Have I not given you the space that you’ve asked for? Though I’m surprised you even bothered to ask. You just stomp around and demand things, hoping to get your way.” She clicked her tongue before shaking her head. “You’re such a bully.”

“…No, I’m not,” Jade whispered.

“Didn’t you hurt your little brother a few days ago?” she pressed. 

“That was an acci-” Ash muttered.

“It’s rude to speak with your mouthful, Asher.” Lily turned her attention toward her son, raising an eyebrow. “You know that.” Ash swallowed loudly. Tears began to fill his eyes. A look of discomfort started to form on his face. Lily turned her attention back to Jade, who at that point jumped up and grabbed her plate, heading for the sink. “Your father has also told me that you like to scare him on purpose, because you think it’s funny.”

“That’s not-” Jade yelled.

“It’s rude to shout,” Lily said firmly.

“It’s also rude to be a bitch.” Jade threw her plate into the sink. A few small pieces broke off and ricocheted up into the air. Jade quickly closed her eyes and moved her head out of the way. 

“Not in front of Asher!”

“Whatever.” Jade turned on the faucet and rinsed off her plate, watching as the eggs slid off and moved towards the drain. The pancakes quickly turned soggy before breaking apart. She turned off the faucet and wiped her hands on a nearby towel. “I’m going to hang with Beck.”

“Fine, do what you always do.” Lily waved her hand in the air before picking up her glass of orange juice and taking a sip. Run off when things don’t go your way.”

Ash turned around his seat, facing his sister, peeking over the backrest. “J, I want to come,” he quietly called out. 

Jade walked over to him and placed a kiss on his forehead. She ran her hand through his hair before cupping his cheek. “…Maybe you can have a playdate with the boys from next door. We need some alone time.”

“You better not come back pregnant,” Lily said into her glass.

David folded up the newspaper before tossing it onto the table. “Lily, that was out of line.” Jade raised her eyebrows in shock. For as long as she can remember, it was probably the first time she had ever heard her father stand up for her. He usually was one of the first people to have something negative to say. Granted, her normally had something negative to say about anything. 

“I’m sorry, but you’ve been letting her run wild for far too long.” Lily raised a shoulder. “First her hair, her new piercings, what if she has more than one boyfriend?” She snickered. “Or maybe they’re not even boyfriends.”

“Shut up!” Jade shouted.

“You’re making J sad,” Ash cried. Lily moved to place her near empty glass back onto the table. At the same time, David went to pick up his newspaper. Lily had placed her glass on the very edge of the newspaper, which tipped to its side, sending a little bit of orange juice over the side of the table and splashing onto the floor. Jade frowned at the loud noise the small volume of liquid made. 

“Look what you did, you just made me spill my drink,” Lily groaned.

“There wasn’t much left in the glass,” David answered with an impatient sigh. Lily looked at him in disbelief. Jade instantly felt the air in the room shift. The entire time, Lily was able to keep a calm demeanor about her, even while cutting down Jade and David, but her frown sent a sudden chill up Jade’s spine, and she was much more antsy to leave the house. 

“Ash, let’s go.” Jade grabbed him by the hand and pulled, but he remained seated in his chair. 

“I can’t,” he whispered. 

“I thought you wanted to hang with me.”

“No,” Ash all but wined. Jaded looked at him in confusion before the floor caught her eye. She spotted a large puddle underneath his chair. She glanced over at Lily’s glass, eyeing the little dribble of juice dripping to the floor. 

Lily followed where Jade was looking before leaning to the side to look underneath the table. She let out a loud gasp before jumping to her feet. “Asher…did you have an accident?”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Jade said, reaching out and brushing a tear off Asher’s cheek. 

“That’s disgusting.” Lily sighed before making her way around the table. We need to clean you up. Soon, you’ll be good as new.” She pushed Jade to the side. “Weren’t you leaving?” she asked. 

“I want Jade.”

“If you want to go, go,” Lily insisted. Jade glanced at her little brother and then out towards the front door, and back. She didn’t want to leave her brother alone with Lily, but this was now her chance to leave the house for a little bit. Jade then instantly hated herself for allowing Lily to start to take control of her. Since when did she ever need permission to do anything before? “Asher, how about we clean you up, and then we can go out.” Lily’s voice was pleasant once more. “I have a surprise for you.”

“What kind of surprise?” Ash sniffed. 

“Something that is very fun to play with, and has a lot of fur, and will be your best friend.”

Jade felt her chest tighten, and a wave of heat rush over her. Her entire body tensed up at one time. She placed a shaking hand onto the back of Ash’s chair, trying to steady herself as she fought to catch her breath. 

“A doggie?!” Ash’s eyes widened in hope. 

“Only after we clean you up.” Lily placed her hands underneath Ash’s armpits and lifted him out of the seat. He moved to wrap his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist, but she held him at an arm’s length away, his legs dangling in the air, a little bit of urine dripping off his legs. “Text me when you arrive and when you are on your way back,” Lily ordered. Jade slowly turned in her direction. “I just want to be sure that my only daughter is safe.”

With that, Jade ran back into the kitchen, emptying the contents of her stomach into the sink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please follow new fanfiction twitter, @AngelofStarzFFN to stay up to date on new stories and chapters!


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